Sun's dream was one of intense feeling and almost utter blackness. Once the lights had been turned out and Cardin left the hospital room, it had taken very little time for Sun to slip into unconsciousness. His mind was haunted by odd, shifting forms that he couldn't make out and echoing voices that the faunus felt he should have been able to identify. There was an overall feeling of time blazing past him as he ran the gamut of emotions and tried to make any sort of sense of what he was feeling and imagining within his mind's eye. With that turbulent, fitful stirring in his mind came a certain lucidity in the feeling that he knew he would awaken even more exhausted than when he had tried to fall asleep; his mind tortured by various unfamiliar specters, an intense sensation of heat, and all of his worries swirling through his mind without form.

And then, quite suddenly, it all came to a total stop with a single touch that seemed to somehow reach his entire body.

The pressuring heat faded to a gentle warmth. The racing mental clock seemed to slow and then stop. The threatening, formless blobs lingering within the dreamscape all faded away to nothingness, and the chorus of garbled voices faded. For the first time in weeks, Sun's mind was clear, and he was at peace. The sensation felt as though it lasted for an eternity, and yet, as he blinked awake in the darkened room, he wasn't sure that any time had actually passed at all.

He also wasn't sure that he was seeing the cat-eared faunus pressed into his side correctly as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

Sun stared over at the young woman clinging to his side, his heart hammering in his chest all the while. Her hair was damp against his shoulder, and her eyes were closed as she breathed softly upon the exposed skin of his arm. Frightening possibilities of just how much time had passed blitzed through Sun's thoughts as he tried to make sense of the situation. Despite the burgeoning panic, Sun knew that there was only one way to get answers and confirm what he desperately hoped was true. Even with such a massive payoff if his eyes weren't deceiving him, forcing out even a single word took an incredible amount of willpower.

"…Blake…?"

The huntress' ears twitched in response and she lifted her head. A pair of familiar amber eyes locked onto Sun's and were immediately chased by a warm smile.

"Hi. I missed you."

Sun didn't hesitate to reply with a kiss. He rolled onto his side and wrapped Blake in a tight hug, pressing his lips to hers with an insistent, needy fervor. A feminine hand slid up Sun's back and into his messy hair, Blake's nails scratching lightly against his scalp and providing him a sensation he had ached for for so long. In that moment, it felt like they had never been separated at all. The weight of the months apart dropped away, and all that mattered was the sensation of her body heat up against his chest. Sun wanted more than ever to simply roll atop Blake and make up for time lost, but a lingering, pesky reminder of duty and impending crisis kept him in place. Even so, he shifted his grip and pulled Blake even closer, allowing one of her legs to slip between his own. There was a stimulating sensation of skin on skin beneath the sheets, and Sun realized that he couldn't tell what she was or wasn't wearing as he finally pulled back from the kiss.

"I was so worried about you…" Sun said quietly, feeling so overcome by relief that he almost wanted to cry. "It's been… gods, Blake, I don't even know where to begin. How did you…?"

"Raven," Blake replied in an equally hushed tone. "She came to check on Qrow, and ended up sending his crew back up here before leaving with him to find Neptune, Daisuke, and I. She filled us in on a lot, but I'm sure we're missing bits and pieces of things that went on. You can catch me up later."

Sun furrowed his brows as he absently stroked a length of Blake's hair, letting his fingers run along the curve of her shoulder as he did so. The name was familiar, and yet, in his sleep-addled haze, he couldn't quite place it.

"Daisuke…?"

"Cinnamon's boyfriend," Blake explained. "He came to Kuo Kuana to help us… and I convinced him to hand over the Fang to Mom and come to Atlas to try to save her. From what I've heard, Cinnamon isn't going to be happy about that move, but… I saw a lot of us in those two in ways I can't really explain. After everything you've done for me, I felt like I had to try to help them. She needs him like I needed you."

"That's really why?" Sun asked, settling his hands upon Blake's waist and caressing gently.

"You changed my life when I needed it most," Blake reassured. "Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today. I'd still be hiding and feeling powerless. I'd be so much less than I am now…"

Sun couldn't help but smile, though it wasn't entirely because of what was said.

"…I feel exactly the same way. All this time up in Atlas and down in Mantle… everyone's been looking to me for answers. Asking me to make impossible decisions and keep the balance between all of us, Ironwood, and the Aces. If I didn't have you in my corner and keeping thinking about how you kept propping me up and insisting that I take care of myself along the way… there's no way I would've made it through all this. You're incredible, Blake, whether you know it or not."

"And so are you," Blake returned as she touched a finger to the tip of Sun's nose. "But you knew that already. Everyone here knows that. They love you, Sun… but not as much as I do."

"…I will say, we've all gotten really close during our stay here," Sun admitted. "But it's not like what we have. Not even close. Now that you're here… I think we can do this. We can't fail. There's too much on the line. You know what's about to happen?"

Blake hesitated for a moment, giving Sun a worried look. With a deep breath and exhale, she took one of his hands and rubbed lightly at the knuckles.

"…at dawn? Yeah, I do. If you really feel that way, though… I trust you just as much as I love you. That trust is stronger than fear. Nothing we've gone up against has broken us yet. I don't plan on letting that change."

"…it's hot when you're confident," Sun declared with a cheesy grin.

Blake rolled her eyes and clonked her forehead against Sun's.

"You're such a dork. Shame we don't have time to make this reunion a little more intimate, but once we get a few hours to ourselves? You're all mine, monkey boy."

"Can't wait," Sun replied. "Speaking of… what time is it? And how long have you been with me, for that matter?"

"We've got about half an hour before we need to head upstairs," Blake answered. "And I've been in Atlas for a little over an hour. A lot's gone on in that time, but I got down here to your room as fast as I could. Neptune and Ilia and standing guard outside to turn away any visitors. They both wanted to give us some time alone once you woke up."

"I owe them both so much," Sun mused before giving Blake another quick peck. "Did you get a chance to talk to Ilia at all?"

"If you mean talk-talk, then… no, I haven't," Blake said with a soft shake of her head. "I really need to, but there's so much to do and she insisted that I come and comfort you instead."

"Make sure you do, when the dust settles," Sun advised. "Ilia's hurting, a lot, for many different reasons. She's holding her shit together, but I think it's just barely. I wish I could do more for her… or give her something like what we have. For a while it looked like she and Yang might go for it, but I think it was just a fling."

"…Yang's not her type," Blake agreed. "Yang smiles."

Sun couldn't help but snort lightly and roll his eyes.

"Don't be mean… but you're not wrong."

"I know I'm not," Blake asserted. "Ilia's one of my closest friends. I'll see what I can do for her. I'm in a good place now, personally, because of you. It's time to keep paying it forward."

"And I'll do the same," Sun agreed as he propped himself up on an elbow and let the sheets fall from his bare chest. "So will Weiss. She's grown a lot since we got here."

"That's one way of putting it for sure," Blake offered as she copied Sun's motions to reveal that she had stripped down to her underwear. "Guess we need to get up, huh?"

"Unfortunately," Sun let on as he slid out from under the sheets and touched down on the floor.

"I did get to see that Marrow guy she's dating, briefly," Blake said as she got out of bed and began to gather her clothing. "Quite the catch on looks alone."

"Get to know him, when you can," Sun advised as he took his shirt off a nearby tray table and began to pull it on. "He's a great guy. Fits right in with all of us. I trust him the most out of the Aces."

"And I trust you the most out of anyone I've ever met," Blake replied as she worked to get dressed once again. "I'll be relying on you to help me navigate the social politics once Atlas is in the air. For the first time since… well, ever, I'm actually excited to meet everyone and see who you've made friends with."

Sun picked up Ghira's belt clasp and pauldron and looked over the pair. Both had been slightly charred and marred with battle damage. Despite their lack of pristine polish, they somehow felt more important to him than ever.

"The people here have become a part of my family, now," Sun began as he snapped on the shoulder guard. "They're right up there along with you. Marrow, Ilia, Weiss, Yang, Jaune… and believe it or not, Corsac, too. That's what we have that Salem doesn't, and she never will. There's life-changing power in what we've got. We just have to figure out how to use that power effectively, and nothing will ever stop us again."

"Against all odds," Blake said as she rolled back the sleeves of the shirt she had borrowed from Sun so long ago and checked the chamber of Gambol Shroud to make sure it was loaded. "You and me and our fucked-up family against the devil herself. We've got too much to lose to not fight like hell."

With a final, echoing snap, Sun secured the massive buckle of Ghira's belt in front of his zipper and took up his weaponry before slipping the pair of nunchaku into his belt loops. Finally, he reached for the Relic of Knowledge sitting on the table next to where his shirt had been and secured the lamp upon his belt.

"You've got that right," Sun emphasized as he strode toward the door, his tail swishing with both excitement and nervous energy. "I plan to spend many, many years at your side. Looks like we've gotta save Remnant first in order to grow old together."

Blake followed along as Sun reached the door and gave him a nod.

"That's a huge ask… but for the reward? It'll be more than worth it. Lead the way."

Sun nodded and opened the door only to have two figures standing sentinel along the walls just outside of it turn to face him immediately. Neptune's million-lien smile lit up the hallway brighter than the harsh overhead fluorescent lighting, and Ilia gave the pair a nod and knowing smirk.

"Hey, man!"

"Hey, yourself," Sun offered as he held out a fist. Neptune bumped it happily before pulling the faunus into a tight, one-armed hug. "You doin' alright?"

"I'm doing great, now!" Neptune said excitedly. "Just been catching up with my favorite snarky little shit."

"Fuck you, Neptune," Ilia said quickly as she folded her arms across her chest and gave Blake a friendly nod. "As much as I hate sappy shit… it's good to see you two reunited."

"And it's good to see you again, too," Blake offered as she pulled the smaller girl into a squeeze.

"Hey," Sun whispered into Neptune's ear while Blake was distracted. "Thanks for taking care of her out there for me…"

"She honestly didn't need much care. Blake's strong, man," Neptune reassured. "Still… I read all of the messages you left for her every night. Got your back, bro."

"…I owe you so much," Sun said as he finally released his friend.

"Pff," Neptune said as he waved a hand to the side and rested it on his hip. "It's what best friends are for, right?"

"Yeah. Still…"

"You two done getting your bro-juices all over each other?" Ilia asked with a roll of her eyes. "We've got one or two important things to attend to in oh, say, right now."

"Settle down, lil' sis," Sun chided as he ruffled the girl's hair. "The band's back together. We've got this."

"We've got this," Blake repeated as she took Sun's hand and stood between their friends. "So… let's do it."

"Let's," Sun agreed as the march down the hall began. "Time for the fight of our lives… and everyone else's…"

Author's Note:

It's been two and a half years of chapter updates since Sun and Blake have been physically together. I never intended it to take this long, but I do hope that in the end, it all ends up feeling like it was worth it. They won't be separated like this again between now and the end of the story, and their relationship will be getting a lot of spotlight once again from here on out. Their relationship does extend just beyond them, though, in ways that I hope are becoming increasingly obvious. Enjoy the ride. It'll be a hell of a bumpy one from here on out… and we may be losing some passengers soon.

-RD